Fredericton chief recognized for tackling 'unfounded' sexual assault cases

Fredericton Police Chief Leanne Fitch says the proportion of sexual cases deemed "unfounded" dropped to 10.87 per cent from 16 per cent after a review discovered problems with how allegations were classified as well as an "unconscious bias" among some officers.

Fitch was recognized by the Globe and Mail newspaper this week as a model leader in reviewing so-called unfounded cases of sexual assault.

I think that there is some work to be done in trauma-informed investigations.- Leanne Fitch, Fredericton police chief

Earlier this year, the RCMP and all nine municipal police forces in New Brunswick were asked to review sexual assault cases they had classified as "unfounded" between 2010 and 2014.

Fredericton was below the national average in the proportion of assault allegations that had been called unfounded.

"We came in around 16 per cent of unfounded files," she said Friday in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.

But Fitch dedicated a sergeant to review the files, and as a result the proportion was reduced to 10.87 per cent.

"There are nine [unfounded] cases of 414 that we believe should have been categorized otherwise," she said.

The findings have been submitted to government.

• 9 N.B. police forces to review 'unfounded' sexual assaults dating back to 2010
• RCMP says it plans to review 'unfounded' sexual assault cases

Fitch said some sexual assault cases were investigated well but were still reviewed again.

Areas for improvement

Fitch said each crime has a specific code, and one of the problems that surfaced during the review was the improper coding, or way of labelling, crimes. 

"We're going to tighten that up within our own organization, and we're going to ensure that the coding of our validation process is as tight as it can be," she said.

Other issues combined with coding also led to misclassified cases, she said.

"In some case, there was a coding issue with a lack of standardization," she said. "I think that there is some work to be done in trauma-informed investigations."

''Unconscious bias'

Fitch also wants more training for officers so they can better understand memory recall for people who have been victims  of violent crimes.

"There is still myth and stereotypes around sexual violence," she said. "I think we need to push those."

An unconscious bias continues to exist among some staff and officers, she said.

"I think that needs to be challenged."

As for the recognition in a national newspaper, Fitch said credit belonged to dedicated police officers and community partners.